Lithuania is seeking to recalibrate its relationship with China, aiming to restore “normal diplomatic relations” while simultaneously strengthening economic ties with Taiwan, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda stated Thursday.
“We are interested in normal diplomatic relations with China, but at the same time we want to maintain relations with Taiwan, as they have great potential,” Nausėda told Lithuanian Radio and Television, following a meeting at the Presidential Palace focused on foreign policy and security. He affirmed a unified position among Lithuania’s top leaders regarding China.
Nausėda emphasized that all decisions concerning Taiwan have been grounded in international law, and that Lithuania’s decision to allow Taiwan to open a representative office in Vilnius under the name “Taiwanese” does not signify a questioning of Beijing’s “one China” policy. “We were not heard, we have to admit that,” he said. “We are still not fully heard today when we say that we respect the ‘one China’ principle.”
The Lithuanian president indicated a potential path toward gradually restoring diplomatic representation with China, first at the charge d’affaires level and potentially progressing to ambassadorial ties, contingent upon a shift in Beijing’s approach. He called for “more dialogue, less unilateralism, less attempts to impose one’s opinion.”
Nausėda reiterated Lithuania’s commitment to fostering ties with Taiwan, seeking to “better employ their potential and move toward concrete forms of cooperation that bring tangible results.” However, he also expressed a willingness to renew dialogue with China “on an equal footing,” while firmly stating, “We are certainly not prepared to kneel and say that we made a mistake.”
Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene earlier this month characterized the 2021 decision to permit Taiwan to establish a de facto embassy in Vilnius as a “mistake,” reportedly suggesting the possibility of renaming the office to “Taipei.” Nausėda subsequently clarified that the office’s name is primarily a matter for Taiwan to decide, and any change would not rest solely with Lithuania.
According to Nausėda, the potential of Taiwan’s relationship with Lithuania has been “only to a small extent” realized in the years since the office opened. He highlighted the laser industry as a particularly close area of cooperation, but noted broader expectations have not been fully met. “People can certainly do more,” he said, adding that “We agreed that we need to sit down again and discuss specifically how we intend to develop our economic cooperation in the future,” calling for “fewer declarations and more concrete commitments from both sides.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that there have been no discussions regarding a change to the office’s name. Ministry spokesman Hsiao Kuang-wei confirmed that the name of the Taiwanese Representative Office was based on a consensus between both sides and is not currently under consideration for alteration.
The opening of the Taiwanese Representative Office in 2021 prompted a significant response from China, which downgraded diplomatic ties and imposed trade restrictions on Lithuania, as reported in 2026 by both The Asia Live and Asia Times. China responded not with overt sanctions or denunciations, but with a “punishing silent treatment,” including the cessation of dialogue and the removal of Lithuania from Chinese customs systems, effectively choking off trade.
